FROM INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Maryam Hadayat, a fourth-grade student at a government primary school in Gujranwala, Pakistan, has been continuously harassed by her fellow Muslim classmates.
“My fellow students abuse my religion,” Maryam recently said.
“They say Christianity is not a good religion and that I should convert to Islam.”
For weeks, Maryam tried to tolerate the bullying.
She reported it several times to her teachers, yet no action was taken.
Finally, when her patience broke, she went home crying and told her grandmother.
SCHOOL THREATENS TO EXPEL CHRISTIAN FOURTH-GRADER
The next day, her grandmother went to the school to confront Maryam’s teacher.
The teacher promised to “look into the matter,” but as soon as the grandmother left, the teacher scolded Maryam, warning her that if she complained again at home, she would be expelled from school.
This response left the fourth-grader traumatised, with no safe space at school.
“These are not teachers,” her grandmother said.
“The government has hired clerics to preach Islam instead of teaching.”
MANY CHRISTIAN STUDENTS TRAUMATISED IN PAKISTAN SCHOOLS
Maryam’s case is far from unique in Pakistan.
Christian children in government schools throughout the country face similar trauma.
Amid lessons on the standard school subjects, teachers often take it upon themselves to preach Islam.
Many boldly declare the Bible as “corrupted,” mock the Trinity, and call Christians blasphemers for believing Jesus is the Son of God.
Others directly pressure children to abandon their Christian faith and embrace Islam.
MUSLIM STUDENTS TORMENT CHRISTIAN KIDS OVER THEIR FAITH
This discrimination is reinforced by peers as well.
Muslim classmates often refuse to eat or drink from the same utensils as Christian children.
If they do, they frame it as a “privilege” granted by Islam.
On countless occasions, Christian students are told to convert to Islam if they wish to be respected.
SYSTEMIC ISSUE ROOTED IN PAKISTAN’S EDUCATION SYSTEM
What happened to Maryam is not an isolated act of prejudice.
it reflects a systemic issue deeply rooted in Pakistan’s education system.
For decades, the government of Pakistan has turned a blind eye to this pattern of discrimination, allowing teachers and professors to perpetuate such behavior inside educational institutions.
In a country where Islam is woven into every subject, including Urdu, English, Social Studies, and even Science, students from minority religions are constantly reminded that they do not belong.
To complete a bachelor’s degree, Islam is a compulsory subject that every student, regardless of faith, must study.
“PAKISTAN GOVERNMENT MUST TAKE ACTION”
Persecution watchdog International Christian Concern asks: How much more pressure will the state place on minorities before acknowledging the weight of this injustice?
Education should empower, not humiliate.
It should build futures, not crush identities.
The state must urgently intervene to prohibit teachers and professors from discriminating against or humiliating students based on their faith.
If Pakistan continues to ignore these injustices, children like Maryam Hadayat will keep growing up with wounds far deeper than the classroom can heal.
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